Reflective Essay: Personal and Professional Development Plan

This essay is a reflective analysis of personal and professional development, focusing on a career in hotel management. It begins with an introduction defining personal and professional development and its importance. The main body includes a self-assessment using the Gibbs reflective model, identifying skills, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The essay explores the student's ambitions, the chosen career path, and the required skills for a hotel manager. It also evaluates the student's skills, highlighting areas for improvement, such as communication and time management. A SWOT analysis is presented, along with a personal development plan. The conclusion summarizes the significance of personal development plans in achieving career goals. Recommendations are provided, suggesting activities and resources for skill development, including language classes, time management strategies, and coaching. The essay emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and self-improvement in the hospitality industry.

Personal and Professional Development Reflective Essay 8

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY................................................................................................................................3
Identification and evaluation of own skills set and ambitions (800).......................................3
CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................5
RECOMMENDATION ...............................................................................................................6
REFERENCES............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Personal as well as professional development can be defined as the formal procedure
through which an individual engaged in the process of learning. Professional development
assists an individual in developing the tactical skill set. Personal and professional skill can also
be considered to be as roadmap for an individual career (Blanco, Vázquez and Otero, 2019.). It
supports people in identifying the different activities which are to be executed for
accomplishing specific career goals. The main purpose of personal as well as professional
development is to manage own learning as well as growth throughout career (Hildebrand,
2018). Continuous personal as well as professional development enables an individual to keep
themselves update and helps them in ensuring that they are working safely, effectively and
legally.
The report will have focus on identification of own skills and the way it relates to career
objectives. Study will highlight the career choice and justification for the same. It will also
include the few recommendations based on self evaluation. Assignment will also define the
key activities which is required to be conducted for developing the skills set needed for
performing the role of manager in hotel.
MAIN BODY
Identification and evaluation of own skills set and ambitions (800)
Gibbs reflective model
Description: It has always my dream to pursue career in Hotel management, and to get the job
of manager in Hotel. The reason for which I have chosen hotel management sector because it
is a career path which I have always been interest. Second reason is that the hotel sector is the
fast growing industry.
After completion of my schooling I am planning to take admission in Hotel
management course and to apply for the internship in hotel. As internship program will help
me in identifying the skills set as well as competencies and knowledge which I required to
develop in context of getting the job in hotel as manager. I have created the personal
development plan which comprises different phases. I think that before starting to take first
initiative for moving towards my dream Job I will be required to gain valuable competencies
as well as skills and experiences which will assist me in performing my job as a manager in
reputed hotel. The core competencies and skills which I will be required to perform my roles

and fulfill responsibilities as a manager in hotel are interpersonal skills, an effective
communication skills, knowledge of management, operational knowledge, self motivation,
time management skills, problem solving skills, ability to work under pressure etc.
Feeling: When I was staring my course in hotel management I Felt very excited. During my
course, I Got an opportunity to do internship in the reputed hotel I felt excited as I got a chance
to learn lot many things and to gain practical experience (Neimeyer, 2018). At the first day in
hotel I felt little nervous as well as curious for gaining the knowledge about the different
operations in hotel. During the hotel management course I gain in depth knowledge about
industry which I believe that will assist me in pursuing my career in particular field.
Evaluation: After completion of my internship in hotel I have decided to conduct the self
assessment in order to identify the skill gap. After conducting the self evaluation s skills which
I believe that I need to develop in order to perform my job as a manger in hotel are :
SWOT analysis
Strength :
 Good writing skills
 Self motivated
 Operational knowledge
 Good team building skills
 Flexibility and adaptability.
 Organized
 Ability to work under pressure
 Customer service skills
 Problem solving skills
 Knowledge about conflict
management
 I have internal locus on control
 I always participate in the training as
well as development opportunities
offered by company.
 Good professional network
Weakness :
 Low decision making power
 Lack of effective language as well as
communication skills.
 Less detail oriented
 Lack of Time management skills.
 Lack of an effective coaching skills
 Lack of technical skills

Opportunities:
 To work with good hotel
 To foster personal as well as
professional growth by developing
more skills as well as core
competencies.
Threat :
 Increase in the competition at
workplace.
 Influence of different factors such as
lack of resources, changes in family
situations can hinder my personal as
well as professional growth.
Analysis : From the above evaluation I found that there are lot many skills which I posses that
will assist me in accomplishing my career objectives. But there are still few core competencies
which I required to develop in order to perform my duties as well as responsibilities as hotel
manager. The various skills which I will be required to posses are an effective language as well
as communication skills, I will need to become more detailed oriented etc. In addition to this, I
found that I will need to have focus on improving my time management and leadership skills
(Shatskova, 2018.). After the evaluation I found that there are few threats which can effect my
personal as well as professional development these are increase in competition and lack of
resources. I will make a Proper plan which will assist me in eliminating the risk. In addition to
this, I will develop additional core competencies such as high decision making power by
seeking support from my seniors and by participation in decision making process. As
development of decision making ability will help me in making me differentiated from that of
other people at an organization. I have analyses that I lack technical skills which I perceive that
it is the ability utilizing which I will be able to manage all the business activities in an effective
as well as efficient manner. Through self-evaluation I found that I have good writing skills but
I need to enhance my communication skills. In addition to this, I have found that I need to be
more detail oriented, as this skill will help me in providing high level of satisfaction to guest
(Losekoot, Lasten and Chen, 2018).
CONCLUSION
It has been concluded from the above personal as well as professional development plan
only provides the direction, one need to develop the specific skills set for getting success in
their career. The other fact which has been found during the study is that formulation of
personal as well as professional development plan has great significance as it assists an

individual in identifying the skills' gap (Carr, 2018). It also supports people in addressing the
knowledge, experience and abilities required for performing specific job within particular
industry. The fact which has been found is that personal as well as professional development
inform an individual about the different activities they are required to perform in context of
development of skills as well as accomplishment set career objectives. It has been concluded
from the assignment that the choice of the career is highly influenced by personal factors such
as interest of an individual in particular field. From the above report it has been summarized
that personal as well as professional development plan assists an individual in identifying their
own position where there talent will be best used (Kusnin and Rasdi, 2018.).
I have got very much benefit by developing the personal as well as professional
development plan. I get to know about the skills which I will be needed to perform, my roles as
well as responsibilities on specific sector.
RECOMMENDATION
The different activities which my tutor has suggested me to perform in order to develop
the various skills set in order to perform role of hotel manager in an effective as well as
efficient manner are :
Personal as well as professional development plan :
Objectives : To pursue successful career in hotel management. In addition to this, Main
purpose is to get the position of manager in hotel. The third objective is to make my significant
contribution in accomplishment of business objective.
Skills required to
be developed
Resources needed Activities to be
performed
Time scale Assessment
criteria
To increase
Decision making
power
Internet  I will
conduct
research.
 Before
reaching
to the
final
Six months Self evaluations
and feedback
from others

decision I
will do
cost
benefit
analysis.
 I will
have
discussion
with my
colleague
s as well
as
subordina
tes,
To develop
effective
language and oral
communication
skills.
Tutor
Books, journals,
magazines etc.
 I will
attend
personal
developm
ent as
well as
language
classes.

 I will read
the
language
books .
Eight months Self assessment.
Time
management
skills
Strategies.
Support from
seniors.
 I will set
short as
well as
Six months Self assessment

long term
target.
 I will
prepare
the
schedule
every day.
 I will
maker list
of
priorities
tasks on
daily
basis.
Effective
coaching skills
Support from
seniors.
I will seek out as
well as
participate in
training
organized.
I will also attend
seminars .
I will also have
meeting with my
subordinates , as
this tactic will
assist me in
developing the
understanding
about the
Second quarter Feedback from
subordinates.
Feedback from
my peer coach

expectation of
employees from
me as a coach.
Detailed oriented Internet
 Books
 I will
attend
seminars .
 I will
complete
course in
hotel
managem
ent.

 Within six
months
 Feedbac
k from
seniors
 Feedba
ck from
custome
rs .
Technical skills support from
technical
department
Seek support
from technical
department
 Eight
months
 Feedback
from
technical
staff
 Self
assessmen
t

REFERENCES
Books and journals:
Hildebrand, J., 2018. Bridging the gap: A training module in personal and professional
development. Routledge.
Blanco, V., Vázquez, F.L., and Otero, P., 2019. Identification of non-professional caregivers
with high resilience using sociodemographic, care, and personal and social development
variables. Aging & Mental Health. pp.1-10.
Neimeyer, G.J., 2018. Continuing Professional.
Shatskova, L.P., 2018. Competence-based approach in professional training of accounting and
control specialists in the hotel and restaurant business. ЕКОНОМІКА: реалії часу.(2
(36)). pp.72-78.
Losekoot, E., Lasten, E., and Chen, B., 2018. The development of soft skills during internships:
The hospitality student’s voice. Research in Hospitality Management.8(2). pp.155-159.
Carr, D. ed., 2018. Cultivating moral character and virtue in professional practice. Routledge.
Kusnin, N. and Rasdi, R.M., 2018. The Influence of Personal Factors on Professional
Employees’ Intention to Stay: Job Satisfaction as Mediator. INTERNATIONAL
JOURNAL OF ACADEMIC RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND SOCIAL
SCIENCES. 8(10).